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History
History/Legend/Myths According to legend, the Many Races simply materialized into existence all at once across the world of Negrotharl. Neither born nor created, but suddenly existing in a world seemingly created for them. Every individual knew their roles in their countries, community, and homes. Kings appeared in their courts and beggars on their corners. However, their pasts were mysteries and thus they had no grudges to hold nor a reason to question their status. Negrotharl was at peace. Time shrouds the order of events, but soon followed the Age of Gods, the Age of Invitations, and a violent change for Negrotahrl. As every member of the Many Races knows, the Old Gods eventually arrived on Negrotharl. Shortly before, or perhaps just after, the Old Gods arrived the first war broke out. Perhaps before either of those events or maybe in response to them, the first Watcher’s received The Invitation. Parents tell their children that the Gods appeared just like the Many Races - with knowledge of the roles they’d play in Negrotharl, but not their past. Of course, the legends also say their egos would have compelled them deny that rumor, but what knowledge they held died with them. The Watchers were the greatest defenders known to Negrotharl. Receiving a mysterious “Invitation”, evidently a kind name given to what was apparently an overwhelming compulsion to travel to The Isle of the Watcher’s. There they lived in Delron’s Keep, or just The Watcher’s Keep, while inexplicably appearing where and when they were needed most, across all of Negrotharl. Of course, legend also says they worked in the shadows to prevent some catastrophes from ever starting, but like the Old Gods, The Watchers have perished, and taken the truth with them. It’s also told that the arrival of the Old Gods would mark the appearance of what most today would call the true downfall of Negrotharl: Magic. At first, magic was used for the betterment of the Many Races and, for many, this legacy still exists. When the poor gather at town centers to eat from the Allfood, they’re being fed by remnants of magic that used to feed entire cities or when a chef’s cooking utensils clean themselves, they’re feeling a touch of the luxuries even the poorest citizens felt every day. Every corner of the world was connected by a web of Teleportation Circles that enabled the transport of people and goods to anywhere in the world in a matter of minutes. Many jobs were automated by summoned creatures and beings. These advancements meant that even commoners had timefor personal advancement and education. These amazing conveniences were produced in the heart and soul of Pre-Banishment magic: Delroth’s Academy. Delroth’s housed nearly all known information on magic from more than 9,000 years of arcane and divine study. It was home to any and all magic users who truly wished to progress in their field. In fact, in most countries, an individual practicing magic without a “Guilder” (an amulet given to alumni who reached the rank of Arcanist) was considered an Apostate Mage and would be tried for endangering the public. Over time their magic became for sale to any who could afford it. It was first put to use as a tool for extremely brutal wars and mysterious plots. Eventually however, even war was made better by the Arcanists at Delroth’s. No longer did leaders engage in brutality that threatened the safety of the Many Races. Instead, with the introduction of summoned beings on the field of battle, there was no need for the Many Races to step foot on a battlefield. Wars became nothing more than games of attrition for leaders who had a desire to throw their nations treasury around. As all alive know, this was the greatest folly the Many Races ever committed. How it came to be that the Many Races obtained possession of magic is unknown, but there are none living today who don’t know the tragedies. Nearly 800 years ago those same creatures and beings, who had been summoned for millennia to plow fields, perform unspeakable acts of all kinds, and die for a king’s amusement were brought together by an unknown figure to wage war on the inhabitants of Negrotharl in what is now known as The Banishing War. Master Arcanists stood rank and file beside the largest army of Watchers in the history of Negrotharl. The final blow of the war was delivered by the same group who are today blamed for its conception. The combined power of the arcane and divine casters at Delroth’s Academy managed to unleash a spell powerful enough to banish all outsiders from the face of Negrotharl all at once. Unfortunately, that final blow arrived late and The Watchers had already been reduced to only a small unit of survivors. The remaining Arcanists had fled the obviously doomed battle. Beyond that, there were terrible, unforeseen, and unexplainable consequences for such a powerful act of magic. Along with all outsiders, nearly ¾ of all members of the Many Races were banished as well. Some of the Races were affected much more than others, and while some Races escaped banishment, they were affected in other ways. While the battlefields were now empty, a new battle quickly broke out. The Old Gods were suddenly and violently brought to Negrotharl in physical forms. While their immortality had been torn away, their knowledge of divine and arcane magic had not. Whether it was because they believed the others had perpetrated the act, or simply because it was the first time they could truly settle debts, the Old Gods began to attack one-another. The magic they wrought was far more potent than what any mortal had ever seen. Growing to 100’s of feet tall and summoning weapons of pure magic they slowly killed each other off. Gozreh was the last god alive, though gravely wounded. As he died he wept for his dead brothers and sisters and those tears created a massive lake in Eodar. Just hours after Gozreh died, it’s said an explosion originating at Delroth’s Academy spread across all of Negrotharl. The meager number of magic users who hadn’t returned to Delroth’s Academy quickly cast spells to detect the type of magic cast, but were met with instant regret. All who cast the spell were immediately and permanently blinded by what they described as a strange “web” of magical energy speeding across the world. When the explosion reached its end, magic ceased to exist throughout Negrotharl for over 600 years. Those 600 years marked a period of necessary peace. With only a quarter of its inhabitants and the failure of all of its magic, Negrotharl resembled a wasteland. Deficits in laborers in vast cities and farm villages alike lead to their abandonment. With no one to explain the magic that caused The Banishment mistrust grew heavy. Some of the Many Races (e.g. Aasimars and Tieflings) tried to explain it away, stating that their blood was clearly ancestrally Outsider. However, this didn’t explain why seemingly purebred Races that contained no known outsider blood were also affected. This mistrust lead to many noble families who had long used sigils or chants to proclaim their outsider bloodlines, to choose to gather what wealth they had and move on before persecution, or worse, began. Luckily for them, a large portion of Negrotharl was on the move to find new homes and they were able to blend in and create new lives. With the influx of refugees from all over the world, some of the biggest cities were able to begin operating “as usual” again. Many had to make hard choices on the road and many new towns and villages were formed in areas that proved too difficult for many to pass. Old maps quickly stopped having any meaning. Entire countries were likely made up of a few dozen small towns, while others were majority populated by refugees from faraway lands. As time continued, civilization began to grow again and, as the growth increased in speed, people began to spread out across Negrotharl once again. Magic returned suddenly and violently. After more than 600 years, there were no people left who remembered the old days, and nearly all knowledge of magic had been lost when Delroth’s Academny exploded. The first signs that magic had returned were the Magic Storms in Eodar. Appearing suddenly and without warning the storms are capable of displacing time and space along with other bizarre effects. Soon families were producing children with magic in their blood again and magical creatures that were assumed extinct began emerging again. The few sages who had hoarded what little information and materials existed relating to magic found they could cast spells. Post Banishment While nearly nothing exists in the same ways it did before The Banishment, there are a number of important changes that have occurred that affect daily life. An entirely new pantheon of Gods, for lack of a better term, has come into existence. They’ve yet to show themselves to the world, not even to give themselves names. However, new Paladins, Clerics, and Oracles have been given power by these new Deities. The Deities favor seems to be given to those that most strongly exude the principles of the natural order of the world and the strongest ideals held by the many Races. A religious order, known as The Circle, has formed to better understand and serve them. Their temples can be found in nearly every city. Today, magic has become a difficult subject. Even those that see its potential for good or view it with awe often approach the magically inclined with some caution, especially Wizards as they voluntarily choose to study it. Magic has returned, but text and knowledge about it has become a luxury few can afford. There are few remaining spellbooks or magical textbooks in the world, and no ordinary citizen would admit to having one in their possession for fear of theft, or worse. Some organizations have sprung up hoping to work together to unlock the secrets of magic, but public fear often means these groups must meet in secret. Some countries even require mages to register themselves and be escorted by a member of The Refugees of The Promised, failing to do so makes one an Apostate Mage and open game for mage hunters. In the absence of The Watchers, the world has had to learn to fend for itself. Mercenarying, monster hunting, adventuring, and many other hobbies have gained massive popularity and have formed countless guilds. Of course, without the fear of an all-seeing eye, many thieving guilds, assassins, shadow, secret-governments, and other seedy organizations have formed as well. After The Banishment, the majority of the population of Negrotharl found themselves living in fear that the Outsiders could return or that with so many of the Many Races having disappeared that they wouldn’t have the goods and services needed to survive. The remaining population of towns, cities and even entire countries, having spent most of their lives in magically provided comfort, found themselves relocating to one of the great cities. Practically overnight nations became populated more by foreigners than by natives. In short order, many countries abandoned their borders and city names became the prominent way of identifying where one is from. There are great cities scattered across Negrotharl, but the majority of them lie within Theros. The other continents, excluding Suuri Paha, all have a handful of great cities, but were otherwise largely abandoned. Magic and nature have begun to reclaim the abandoned areas left after The Banishment. Terrifying beasts, barbaric tribes, mysterious cults, and Magic Storms have created threats to the civilized world.